Southern Contemporary Rock Assembly
| Company type | Music group |
|---|---|
| Industry | Music |
| Founded | 1971 |
| Headquarters | Australia |
| Products | Jazz-rock music, albums, singles |
Southern Contemporary Rock Assembly (abbreviated as SCRA) was a jazz-rock ensemble from Australia, established in mid-1971. The lineup featured Sheryl Black on lead vocals, Ian Bloxsom handling percussion, Russell Dunlop on drums, Dave Ellis playing bass guitar, Greg Foster on trombone and harmonica, Mickey Leyton also contributing lead vocals, Jim Kelly on lead guitar, Mike Kenny with trumpet, Peter Martin covering guitar and vocals, and Don Wright performing on tenor saxophone and flute.
Their first album, titled SCRA, was launched in December 1971 under M7 Records with Allan Crawford as producer. According to Australian music historian Ian McFarlane, this record was "more polished and subtly arranged" than their usually "bold, commercial" live performances. The album featured three singles including their initial release—a rendition of Ma Rainey's "C C Rider". The follow-up single "Roly Poly" reached number 27 on the Go-Set National Top 40 and climbed to number 28 on the Australian Kent Music Report Singles Chart by April 1972.
In January 1972, SCRA took part in the first-ever Sunbury Pop Festival, where a live recording of "Roly Poly" was included on the festival's double album issued by EMI and His Master's Voice. The festival's documentary film Sunbury (1972) showcases SCRA performing "I Just Want to Make Love to You", featuring Black’s lead vocals, which McFarlane commended as those of a "powerful blues vocalist with exceptional talent." By April that year, the band moved to the United States and incorporated Ian Saxon as an additional lead singer. Members also acted as the studio backing band for Dig Richards’ country album Harlequin.
SCRA’s sophomore release, The Ship Album (1972), was recorded at both The Hit Factory in New York and United Sound Studios in Sydney. Produced by Peter Martin and distributed by Atlantic Records, this album represented a stylistic evolution towards a more experimental and blues-influenced progressive jazz-rock sound, departing from the lighter pop influences present in their debut. The group dissolved by late 1972. Several musicians went on to pursue session work; notably, Dunlop and Kelly joined Mother Earth, with Dunlop subsequently becoming part of Johnny Rocco Band and Ayers Rock, while Bloxsom, Kelly, and Kenny later contributed to Crossfire.
Studio albums
| Title | Album details | Highest chart position |
|---|---|---|
| AUS KMR | ||
| SCRA |
|
25 |
| The Ship Album |
|
— |
Singles
| Title | Year | Peak chart position | Album |
|---|---|---|---|
| AUS KMR | |||
| "C C Rider" | 1971 | — | SCRA |
| "Roly Poly" | 35 | ||
| "Sydney Born Man" | 1972 | — | |
| "Our Ship" | — | The Ship Album | |
| "It's a Game" | — | non album single |